Vitas patrum.

¶ How he resceyued many one to the state of Relygyon / And begynnyth in latyn ¶ Regulas igitur et cetera. Caplm lxxvi

[illustration]

AFterwarde by the grace of god that benygnly callyth euery o∣ne to doo penaunce / came ma∣ny deuowte persones to the holy man. for to lyue solytaryly wyth hym / Amō¦ge whyche came Pawle / a nother Pa∣chomyen. and one namyd Iohan. the whyche lyued there a holy lyfe and ho∣neste wythout ony spotte of synne / Af¦ter this he stablysshed some for to haue the gouernaunce and rule of the mona¦stery / And pryncypally the moost vertu¦ouse & humble aboue the other / ¶ And sayd the holy man. that lyke as a sp••••∣cle of fyre that fallith amonge an kepe of sheuys of corne may not be but with grete paynt quēchyd. And often tymes it is seen that it brennyth all the hoo••e hepe / In lyke wise yf in a relygyon be some Relygyouses that chaunge there

thoughtes to that cursyd vyce of amby¦cyon / Desyrynge to be fyrste and prin∣cypall in the Ordre / And to haue there grete offyces / ¶ Yf from theyr hert th{us} enflammed they putt not awaye soone the bronde of this euyll suggestion riht¦lyghtly / They lese Incontynente that they haue soughte by longe tyme afore ¶ And for this cause the holy man wo¦lde not consente nor suffre that the o∣ne sholde haue ony lordshyp or premy¦nence ouer the other / And namly vpon a solempne. feeste / ¶ And to the ende that this Inordinate affeccyon were ta¦ke fro theym. and wyll to precede that one the other / He made a preest to co∣me that was not of that monasterye. for to doo there the offyce and seruyce. that sholde admynystre theym the sa∣cramentes / ¶ And more ouer he sayd. that it is better to lyue in charyte and in humylyte. than in dysordynate wor¦shypp / ¶ And yf some clerke or preest came to hym for to be Relygyous. He made to hym honour after his astate / and lyke as it aperteyneth to a man of the chyrche /